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I am not alone

plk

Newbie
Messages
2
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi

PLK here and have been TYPE 2 for 3 weeks or so.Removed all thoughts of cakes,pies,chips and processed foods from my brain.

Have cut down to 14 units of booze per week.

Have got my Wii machine again and have started working on it again and have lost 6lbs in a couple of weeks.I got for a regular 3 mile walk every day.

At present my problem is being controlled by lack of incorrect foods etc.
 
@plk - Hello and Welcome to the Forum. I will tag @daisy1 who will provide you with some basic information.
 
Sounds like you are doing good :)

We are not alone, there are a lot of us out there . I can't help but think all those years of healthy low fat, high fibre diet plans have helped us into this happy situation .
It does get easier once you adapt and the changes just become your normal pattern for living, I still eat out, go for drinks, meet for coffee, my food choices have just changed a little :)
Welcome to the community x
 
@plk

Hello and welcome to the forum :) You have already started to get good results from the efforts you are making. To help you more, here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. In particular it gives information on low carb eating which you will find can help you. Ask as many questions as you want and someone will be able to reply.

BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you’ll find over 150,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

  • Reduce your carbohydrate intake
  • Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates

Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes-and-whole-grains.html

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes

LOW CARB PROGRAM:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/low carb program


Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)
  • Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

  • structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
  • self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to bloodglucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
 
What's a unit of booze?
  • to keep health risks from drinking alcohol to a low level you are safest not regularly drinking more than 14 units per week – 14 units is equivalent to a bottle and a half of wine or five pints of export-type lager (5% abv) over the course of a week – this applies to both men and women
Above is the UK NHS guidelines on alcohol consumption.
 
welcome @plk
Do read Daisy's information as it will help with what to eat. I found testing before a meal and after 2 hours really helpful as that showed me the effect that meal had on my blood sugars. I'm sure the weight loss and walking will be helping as well. Do ask questions and we will try and help. There is a lot to take in and at first it can be quite daunting. For a lot of us it was cutting out or reducing carbs such as bread, rice, pasta etc.
 
Welcome @plk

Its a great forum and I have had so much help on so please make sure you ask any questions you have.
There is a lot of information in the forums on diet and foods so have a browse around the forums. the best and most important thing you can do to control your diabetes and diet is to self test. If you don't have a meter I would suggest you get one as it will give you control and the tool we all need to manage our levels and diet

Cheers
 
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